JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 49 Judgment of the Nine Nations II
This chapter contains Jeremiah’s word to the nations of Ammon, Edom, Damascus (Syria), Kedar and Hazor, and Elam. We will continue the study with the focus on the powers and principalities over these ancient nations. The above map is not complete, but hopefully helpful.
- Ammon - Northwest Arabia, east of Gilead and the Dead Sea – “tribal; inbred; Ammon, a son of Lot and brother of Moab”; “a people”; “a tribe”; - reveals the principle of Mixture.
Ammon was the northern “brother” nation of Moab. Milcom was the national god. This is the same as Molech, Apis the Bull, the Golden Calf, Ba’al, etc.
Rabbah (V.2) is in the exact place as Amon, Jordan, the capital city of the Kingdom of Jordan today.
Ammon is condemned for greed, especially in the accumulation of land (Gal. 6:8; Mt. 6:9). The northern part from Heshbon to the river Jabbok was occupied by Gad.
The question is asked, “(V.1b) “Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then does their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in cities? Behold the days come, says the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap…then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs.”
Since this prophecy of Israel shall be the heir, has not been fulfilled, I believe it is futuristic.
Once more a prophecy ends (V.5) with a promise of restoration. Ammon flourished until the second century B.C. under the Tobiad family and with Nahatean trade.
#5. Next is the word to Edom (49: 7-22): Edom is south of the Dead Sea and South of Moab and SSE of Judah. The principle of the natural man. This nation is minerally rich and is also called Seir (Gen. 32:3). It is the name of Esau’s ancestors, rivals of the tribes of Jacob. The wealth of Edom was shown by the heavy tribute it paid to Esarhaddon. Copper and Iron made Edom wealthy, as well as the tolls over the ancient king’s highway which ran to Dumah, Edom. (Isaiah 21: 11-12)
All of Edom must share the Lord’s wrath with Israel. If Israel had to drink the cup surely Edom cannot escape it. This was also prophesied by the contemporary prophets Ezekiel and Obadiah. Obadiah is a parallel to these verses. It is not possible to say which, if either, prophet borrowed from the other. I would like to believe that both prophets received a confirmation.
Edom is characterized like Esau by a boastful wisdom which leads to a contempt of God. The punishment for such is to be made foolish and driven out of the rock-fortresses on which they rely. No place will be untouched. There will be no hiding-place and no note of hope. Though the exercise of His justice may cause hapless widows and helpless orphans, God in his mercy will care for them. The prophecy was fulfilled when Edom was taken over by the Nabateans in the third century.
The cup of the wrath of God is a vivid picture of the judgment. This is why Jesus drank the bitter cup so that God’s wrath was on him and those of us, who have received His Blood, will not experience this wrath.
Obadiah 1: 3-4): “The pride of thine heart has deceived you, thou that dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that says in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? Though you exalt yourself as the eagle, and though you set the nest among the stars, thence will I bring you down, says the Lord.”
(Same as Jeremiah V.16)
Edom is the birthplace of the Herods. “The strong man of the Political spirit flexed his muscles through the reign of Herod—it was embodied in the Herodian dynasty, which desperately opposed the coming of Christ. God’s government was about to be established through the birth, death, and resurrection of the Promised Son. The King of kings had come to take His throne as was prophesied in Isaiah 9: 6-7. the Herodian spirit worked through generations of Herods, beginning with Herod the Great, who sent soldiers to kill Jesus as a baby, on with Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist beheaded and sent Jesus to be crucified by Pilate, to Herod Agrippa, who sent the apostle Paul to be martyred in Rome.” (The Political Spirit by: Faisal Malick, published by Destiny Image)
(V.7) Teman is modern Tawilan, some three miles east of Petra, the rock-city.
(v.18) Sodom and Gomorrah are the classic example of God’s overthrow of a sinning people
(V.19) What ruler can defend his people against me?
(v21) Red Sea here is probably better, Reed Sea i.e. marshes by the Bitter lakes.
#5 - Next is the Word to Damascus or Syria. Arpad is northern Syria, about 23 miles north of Aleppo. The power of these city-states was broken by Assyria and further reduced by Babylon. This is the principle of the waste of human energy in religious trafficking. The principle of riches or mammon. It is related to the principles revealed in the names Tyre and Sidon.
Syria means the highland; to be elevated; a citadel; castle, palace.
Isaiah 17 is the prophetic word to Damascus that it will one day be a ruinous heap. This word is still futuristic.
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled the prophecy in Chapter 49 in 595 and 594 B.C. Syria traditionally joined Israel when it was convenient, and so must now share in the judgment she had suffered.
Ben-Hadad (V.27) – son of terror – is a dynastic name and was held by at least three kings. Most notably the contemporary of Ahab. (1 Kings 15:18; 20: 1; 2 Kg. 6:24; 8; 7; 13; 3:27; Am. 1:4) A further study of Ben-Hadad will give us more insight to the spirit of terrorism.
This passage is a linked with Isaiah Chapters 7 & 17. It is also linked with the time of Esther.
#6 and #7– The Arabs: Kedar and Hazor (49:28-33): Kedar, a son of Ishmael – “to be ashy” or dark-colored; to mourn. Hazor means “village” or “Chatsor”. This is the principle of prejudice, hate and war. These were large-scale sheep-breeders and skilled archers. Some have described them as symbolic of those who snipe at God’s people. Hazor here is probably not the renowned city of the north but the Arabs living in open village settlements.
The city by the name of Hazor in Israel today was Canaanite and Israeli and was know as Tell el Qedah.
In this prophecy by Jeremiah they will be robbed of their wealth, tents, vessels and camels. Jeremiah warns of impending raids against them. This prophecy was fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar’s sixth year when the Babylonian Chronicle relates that the king of Babylon in Syria sent out companies and scouring the desert they took much plunder from the Arabs, their possessions, domestic animals and gods.
(V.29 “their tents and their flocks shall they take away; they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.” One translation reads, “terror is on every side.”
Terrorism is another face that has arisen from the ancient spiritual root in the Muslim word.
#8 -“ Elam (49:34-39): Elam is now Southwest Iran and means “hidden”; “distant”; “to veil from sight, to conceal; remove time, a young man, puberty”. Elman, was a son of Shem and an ancestor of Mohammed, the father of Islam. This is the principle of immaturity.
“It is the strong man that opposes the work of Christ in the earth. It is the darkness that the light of Christ has come forth to expose---the gross darkness that only the glory of God can overcome. It is the false and deceptive governing system that sets itself up against the true government of God. It normally becomes most evident when God’s divine order is about to be established.” (The Political Spirit by: Faisal Malick, published by Destiny Image)
This brief prophecy was perhaps part of a warning to Zedekiah against siding with the rebellions which were spreading throughout the Babylonian empire. According to the Babylonians Chronicle, Elam, the ancient kingdom east of Babylonia, attacked Nebuchadnezzar but when he advanced against them the king of Elam fled in panic in 596 B.C.
The Elamites were long famous as bowmen against the western kingdoms. They have been called the anti-church militant. They were dispersed among other nations by Persians and Medes as well as by the Babylonians.
Verse 38 is a promise I receive that the Lord will one day redeem Iran. Other think it could mean judgment. “And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes, says the Lord.”
I believe the Lord will destroy the kings and princes of the powers and principalities of the strong men over these nations and He will set up His Throne and turn this nation to Him.
We have three more chapters to complete our study of the Book of Jeremiah.
Chapters 49-50 are the judgment of Babylon with the Lord using as His instrument of judgment the Medes and Persians. Throughout the whole of Jeremiah, Babylon has been the instrument of God’s judgment. Finally, on account of her own sin and corruption, that judgment must inevitably fall upon her. Jeremiah 52 closes with the major theme of the book, RESTORATION FOLLOWING JUDGMENT OR JUDGMENT UNTO VICTORY.
Matthew 12:20 “a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth JUDGMENT UNTO VICTORY.”
“Throughout history the strong men of these powers and principalities have opposed the Word of truth of God’s government. “As it was then, so it is now. “We are crossing over another epic threshold there in the last days before Christ returns. As the government of the Kingdom of God ushered in the manifestation of the glory after Pentecost (Acts 2), so will God’s divine order bring another wave of glory so that “all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” (Numbers 14:21)
We are at a turning point in the Church; God has already declared, “The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former…” (Hag. 2:9) It has already been foretold that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cove r the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) Though we know the resolution, we must still endure the conflict. Though we know who the victors are, there is still a battle to be waged…
God would not have His end-time church ignorant as we face the same powers and principalities in these political spirits as Jeremiah, all the prophets, Jesus Christ and the Apostles faced.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
(We stream our messages weekly)
Scripture quote from KJV. Text from Principles of Present truth by: Kelly Varner and F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary: Donald Wiseman. The Political Spirit by: Faisal Malick, published by Destiny Image.